1 The colonists were starting from scratch. They were only able to bring over a limited amount of building supplies from England, and there was no place to buy more once they arrived here.2 There were plenty of natural resources - trees, rock, clay, etc. - but it would take time to turn these resources into building materials. In the meantime, the colonists built temporary structures with the materials at hand. Their first buildings were designed only to provide shelter and safety. More permanent buildings would come later.3 Some of the earliest settlers built tent-like structures from poles with branches or pieces of fabric for a covering. Some built cave-like structures against the sides of hills. Others built walls called palisades from pointed stakes set in the ground side by side.4 The original fort at Jamestown was a palisade fort. The palisade was intended to provide protection for the colonists inside. Inside the palisade, they built their homes, a storehouse, a guardhouse, and their church.